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Zyada kuch nahi…recipes, reviews…

Food Review:- Bay of Bengal, Opposite Koshi, Church Street

Had gone to “Bay of Bengal” (a joint venture between Bijoli Grill and K.C. Das) last Saturday. The interiors were modest but clean. The service was good. The food was OK. We ordered Kabiraji which is like an omlette filled with meat, Moong Dal, Rice, Ilish Paturi which is Hilsa fish cooked in mustard and covered in banana leaf, mutton cutlet, prawn cutlet, loochi (maida puri) and aloo dum. The food was good except a little more towards the saltier side. Unlike Ballygunge which is at Indra Nagar, the food at Bay of Bengal is less oily, less spicier and reasonably priced. We ended our meal with mishti doi which was served in earthen pot and was very tasty. We paid 1200/- for all this for 3 people.

Every Sunday they have a Buffet lunch at 300/- serving traditional bengali cuisine. Prior booking is recommended.

Last Saturday was also our film viewing day after a long time. We went to Inox at Garuda Mall for Mithya.

Over all acting by all the actors was good. The film is about a small time actor who is kidnapped by a gang led by Sudhir Mishra and Nasiruddin Shah who is the Gang Leader’s right hand man. Ranvir Shourie is kidnapped becuase he is a look alike of Raja who is the leader of a rival gang. The whole story revolves around this plot which includes a lot of humour too and some great comic timing.

I liked the film becuase of the different perspective given by the director Rajat Kapoor. We have always seen dons and Gang Leaders killing small time people (read the character artists or people who are insignificant) remember “Sholay”, Gabbar singh asking “kitne aadmi the?” And then killing all the 3 men. End of their story in the film. Well they did not have a story to begin with.

Here in “Mithya” the protaganist is the same insignificant man but this time the table is turned and we get to hear his side of the story too. He probably would meet the same fate as many others of his type but this time we are on the other end of the window. This is precisely why I liked “Mithya”

I wanted to open a current account in AXIS bank sometime in May 2010, so I went to the M.G. Road, Bangalore branch with all the relevant documents and was told that within 5-7 working days my account will be activated and I will receive my welcome kit, internet password and debit card. 2 weeks went by and nothing happened, I called up the business development executive and was told that my application has reached Mumbai for processing but since they are doing a system migration it is causing a delay (I mean system migration is not my problem, I want my account functional). So anyway, like a good understanding customer I waited for their system migration to get over.

I think 1st week of June is when I got my welcome kit, whereas I had gone to the bank sometime in the 2nd week of May. The letter had 31st May as the account opening date and contained nothing more than a cheque book. So I waited again, thinking in few days I will receive the rest of the things. Weeks went by but nothing came so I called up the Business Development Executive (BDE) who said that he will check and revert which he never did. I called up the phone banking which took 30 minutes to lodge a complaint and asked me to check after 48 hours. I e-mailed to the grievance e-mail listed on their website but that also did not solve my problem. Few more days passed, I called up the phone banking to know the status on my complaint and was told to call up the BDE because they will not be able to help me. So I call up the gentleman again and by this time I had lost my patience. It was the 3rd week of June and I had no way of checking my account balance or do any online transaction. The BDEthen sent an executive to my home to get the forms filled again. Now, here is another example of their proactiveness. Since, it is a current account, I thought a company seal might be required along with my signatures on the form. I asked the executive who had come to my house, but he had no clue whether the seal was required or not so I again call up Mr. BDE to find that out and then he tells me, “Yes, Yes madam, seal is also required.” If I were not more pro active and called him, this form again would have got rejected and caused further delay. Anyway, last week of June I finally got my Debit card and internet password (which is a month after my account got opened) however, I am still waiting for my Debit card PIN.

I also happened to call their FOREX number to get a swift transaction details and they were the least helpful to begin with. I had to make 3 calls and in every call they gave me just 1 information each time. When I asked the bank details the lady obliged me by giving me only “half” the bank’s name. Finally my husband called up and requested them to e-mail us all the information which thankfully they did.

Thats the whole story…I just hope in future I do not have to deal with the bank in person.

In May I had gone to Fusion Unisex salon which is at Kammanahalli main road. I had got an Aroma facial done which cost Rs.950. I was very happy thinking that finally there is a decent parlour near my house where I can go for my regular beauty treatments. But when I went there the 2nd time in June I was so disappointed and felt cheated. Here is why:-

1. The facial room looked used. The sheet on the table was crumpled and looked dirty as it had some grey smudges.

2. The changing gown felt wet and again I had my doubts on it being unused.
3. The massage lasted for just 20 minutes only whereas last time it lasted for 45 minutes.

4. This time I was not given a back & shoulder rub which was given to me last time.
5. I have a pimple prone skin and told the beautician not prick my pimples but she went ahead and pricked the pimples and I could feel blood coming out of them.
6. The face pack was also different this time which I did not like. Last time it was a sandalwood based mask which scented nice and felt good.
7.Within a month’s time their rates have sky rocketed. The same facial now costs Rs.1350/- instead of Rs.950 which I paid in May and it’s clearly not worth that money especially when there are better parlours like Lakme and Kaya available in the same vicinity.

There is a new Coffee World which has opened near Kammanahalli. We had gone there one evening for some salads. The one at Eva Mall has some nice salads and waffles, so we thought now that it has opened near our home let’s go there and enjoy their salads however the experience was awe full and here is why:-

1. There were no salads available to begin with though they had displayed a diet menu on all tables.

2. We were served no water until one of our friends asked for it 30 minutes later. Water was finally served but the waiter served only 1 glass of water when we were 3 in number.

3. We ordered for sandwiches and coffee. It took them another 30 minutes to make the sandwiches which the waiter brought 1 by 1 at an interval of 15 minutes. So My friend had to wait for our sandwiches to arrive so that we could all start together. As a result of which his grilled sandwich became cold.

4. Another 15 minutes for the 2nd sandwich to come and we decided to start eating rather than wait for another 15 minutes for the 3rd sandwich. Both the sandwiches were finished but the 3rd one was yet to arrive.

5. When the 3rd sandwich came it was a white bread sandwich instead of a brown bread one. So the waiter had to take it back to get us the right one. 15 more minutes and the 3rd sandwich (which now was our 4th sandwich technically) arrived but I guess this time they ran out of vegetables because the only vegetables the sandwich had was onions and capsicum. There were no tomatoes, no lettuce.

6. Coffee never came, so we had to remind them and were told that we never ordered coffee.

All in all very bad customer service and equally bad eating experience. Not recommended at all. Rather go to CCD or a Barista.

I recently had to get a root canal treatment done and was trying to avoid the procedure fearing all the horror stories people had told me before about root canal treatment. However, I could not escape going to the dentist as I generally get a scaling done every 6 months & this one was due for over a year now. Also, I started seeing a tiny lump on my gum where I had done a filling 2 years ago. I was on the lookout for a decent dentist who would not charge me a bomb. My niece suggested that I go to Dr. Ganesh Shetty’s clinic at Kammanahalli as he is their family dentist.

As Dr. Ganesh Shetty’s clinic was very close to home I fixed an appointment to get a scaling done and thought I will get root canal done by him only if I feel that he is a good doctor. Now my definition of a good doctor is one who I can share my silly fears with, can ask any question related to my ailment, someone who can empathise with me and make me comfortable, win my trust and most importantly help me deal with my fear and Dr. Ganesh Shetty could do all of this proving to be an excellent dentist.

My root canal was painless, absolutely painless. I was not charged a bomb. The entire process cost Rs.5000 including a porcelain crown. Whenever I had any problems I could call on his cell and he would pick up his phone. The staff at his clinic is also very courteous and helpful. The only problem is that his clinic is always crowded. I think that is a proof enough of him being a very popular and a good dentist.

When we discovered that we were expecting a baby, finding a good obstetrician was the 1st thing on our mind. We went to Apollo clinic at Fraser Town but were not very happy with the doctor. So we started shopping online and came to know of “The Cradle”, a hospital which specialises in delivering babies. In fact their tag line is, “Delivering joy” and I completely agree with the tag line because our delivery was indeed a joyful experience thanks to our doctor at The Cradle.

Dr. Anuradha Sadashivmurthy is an excellent doctor because as a first time parents, all our fears, concerns were handled by her veryempathically. She always answered her cell phone and in cases where she could not, she would always call back. She was so helpful that she even told us things that we never knew were important. Like the exercises I could do and avoid, the food I should eat and should not eat. Her behaviour was also very warm and welcoming. Sometimes it felt as if she was genuinely happy for us even though we only shared a patient and doctor relationship. All through the pregnancy she never recommended useless medicines and kept saying that I have a very high chance of having a normal baby. From my friends I had heard that generally private hospitals insist on caesarean because that way they can earn a lot more money however in my case, my doctor said I will have a normal delivery and I had a very safe and quick normal delivery.

The pediatrics although is not something that I would recommend at The Cradle but in case you are looking for a very good hospital for delivery and general pregnancy related checkups then please consult Dr. Anuradha Sadashivmurthy because she is really very good at her work. The Cradle is expensive however compared with other private hospitals in Bangalore like Wockhardt, Apollo and Mallya it is relatively cheaper and definitely far better.

After having a baby, it is very important that you have a good pediatricianready. Someone known to us recommended Dr. Praveen Bopaiah and now after visiting her I also highly recommend her. Her clinic, like any other good and well-known doctor’s clinic, is always full of patients so it is advisable that you make an appointment with her whenever possible. In emergency cases you can call her and visit her at her house.

As a doctor, she understands parent’s concern and also knows what will a baby like and not like. I am sure her job must be difficult because her patients can hardly talk and explain their problems. But she knows the right treatment, diagnosis and medicines for the little babies. She is not very expensive also. Though my baby has suffered from minor ailments only but she always springs back into action after getting treated by Dr.Bopaiah.